GREENFIELD — Greenfield-Central High School’s campus is officially Cougar Country, with new artwork designed to promote GC pride and school spirit.
Motorists have been watching the installation of new aluminum art, featuring GC and Cougar logos at McKenzie Road and Broadway Street.
Later this spring, the roundabout at McKenzie Road and Franklin Street will feature the phrase “Cougar Country.”
According to a press release from the school corporation, the project is a vision come true for local resident Larry Breese, who has spent a lifetime celebrating GC schools and serving the Greenfield community.
Breese, Greenfield High School Class of 1968, served 20 years as Greenfield clerk-treasurer, and is currently on the city’s Board of Works. A married father and grandfather, Breese also served on the city council and as a volunteer firefighter over the years.
In his high school days, Breese lettered in track and cross country, was drum major for the band and participated in many clubs. Back then, school spirit was strong and teens gathered to show their support for athletes and performers alike. Now, Breese hopes the new art at the roundabouts will bring a similar sense of respect.
“I was born and raised in Greenfield. My wife was a teacher at Greenfield-Central schools for 41 years. Our kids, our grandkids have all gone to Greenfield-Central,” Breese said. “I’ve always had an interest in the city of Greenfield and the school corporation. It’s near and dear to my heart for multiple reasons.”
The idea for decorative school sculptures was at the back of Breese’s mind years ago, having traveled to nearby communities that have similar features.
Then, about a year and a half ago, Breese bounced the idea off of Mayor Guy Titus, Superintendent Dr. Harold Olin and others. Everywhere he turned, he found support.
“Having seen similar displays of support for local school corporations in other places, I thought the idea was fantastic,” Olin said. “The only real obstacle for the idea was the cost associated with completing such a project. Larry was unmoved by this, and he began to look for solutions.”
That’s where Breese’s background as the retired clerk-treasurer came in handy.
Breese remembered that the roundabouts were originally constructed by the city through TIF (tax-increment finance) funds, a tax collected by business and industrial growth at the Interstate 70 corridor. Breese said since the school corporation does not receive any of this money, he approached Greenfield officials to see if the city would fund the project to enhance the beauty of the roundabout, and offer up a goodwill gesture to the schools.
The city’s redevelopment commission unanimously approved the concept, and the city’s traffic safety committee also gave the green light.
Design work then began through Riley Signs and Sheet Metal of Indianapolis, with the assistance of GC leaders.
“When the artwork is finished, I have no doubt that visitors to Greenfield will see the pride that our community has for our schools,” Olin said. “The two roundabouts will be a constant reminder of this support each time people travel north of the high school campus.”
Olin went on to explain that in the next five years, GC will begin to move some athletic courts and fields to the Frost property on Franklin Street just south of McKenzie Road. The “Cougar Country” artwork will have high visibility for people traveling to see athletic events.
Greenfield Mayor Guy Titus said when people decide to locate in the area, they look for great parks, good restaurants, convenient retail, a beautiful downtown, quality housing and a highly-rated school corporation. He said the success of Greenfield-Central schools should be celebrated.
“Larry Breese came to me with the idea, and after speaking to people in the community as I do about all of my projects, it was well-received and gained momentum,” Titus said.
The artwork was designed to be low-maintenance and long-standing. The metallic structure on the Broadway roundabout lights up at night, but there’s still plenty of room for the popular Christmas trees in the roundabouts every holiday season.
Today, school spirit still reigns in the Breese household. Larry Breese was named a member of the Greenfield-Central Hall of Fame in 2018. He and his wife, Roberta, continue to attend many sporting events, concerts and theater at GCHS.
“Life today is so much busier than it was in the ‘60s, and students today have so much on their plate that we didn’t have. In the ‘60s, athletic events — that was the thing to go and do; there wasn’t a whole lot else to do. Today, kids are working and they have multiple entertainment opportunities and things. It’s just a different time for sure,” Breese said.
“I hope the (artwork) brings a sense of pride to Greenfield-Central schools — not only the athletic events, but the theatrical and musical events that they have, and will be having. I just hope the citizens have a sense of pride in the artwork. Some communities like to paint their water towers with their school mascot or name; there’s a lot of ways of going about showing your pride in your school system. This is just one way of doing that.”